The community as a whole needs to be involved in "redesigning" the town so it has long-term resilience against such disasters, says Dr Sullivan, whose main affiliation is now as an adjunct professor at the UNSW Water Research Centre.To some extent, she says, it's about letting nature run its course, an approach pioneered by countries like The Netherlands., the low-lying country bought back many farms for the flood plain.
But there's so much more that could be done to work with nature to reduce the risk of flooding, Dr Sullivan adds.Singapore is known internationally for its integration of nature into the urban environment. "Singapore used to have very large concrete drains to reduce flooding, but this is ugly and doesn't have any ecological or social benefits," says urban sustainability expert, Perrine Hamel of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore."naturalising" the city's riverThese wetlands in Singapore not only protect against floods, but are a stopover point for migratory birds flying from Australia.
The park around the river is not only a great place for people to gather when it's dry, but provides an area where excess water can soak into the ground and cause less havoc.
RonniSalt I don't know... ask ScottyThePathologicalLiar
RonniSalt if only 😔
Huh funny that. Wonder when Australia will see the connection between natural/environmental devastation and human/societal devastation. Hope it's soon!
Well done ABC journalists for highlighting nature-based-solutions to allow audience to identify what they are. We often do not get news coverage that explains the difference of living in harmony with nature, vs trying to control nature. More of this would be welcome. ausvotes